Orthopraxis appliance for the back



' R. H. HALE ORTHOPRAXIS APPLIANCE FOR THE BACK April 1, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 2, 1953 INVENTOR. 74/1914 ZZ /i Z6.

fifraRNEK A ril 1, 1958 R. H. HALE 2,828,737

QRTI-IOPRAXIS APPLIANCE FOR THE BACK Filed April 2, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORV United tates Patent Q ORTHOPRAXIS APPLIANCE FOR THE BACK Randall H. Hale, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application April 2, 1953, Serial No. 346,296

4 Claims. (Cl. 128-78) This invention relates to orthopraxis appliances for treating and correcting deformities of the human body and which comprise body conforming braces which are capable of immobilizing areas of the body, such as the spine and lower back.

Objections to known appliances are that they are unduly heavy and cumbersome to wear, become contamie nated by offensive body odors and perspiration, which cannot be removed by washing, and are hot to wear and hygienically unsanitary. Also, being of metal and opaque, proper X-ray observation with the braces in position upon a patients body is not possible.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide an improved construction of orthopraxis appliance which is lighter in weight, cooler to wear, has improved body conforming properties and is less conspicuous in use and, hygienically, more sanitary than the conventional appliances.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved orthopraxis appliance, which is completely washable.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved orthopraxis appliance in which the body conforming sheets are composed of thermoplastic material which is responsive to treatment by heat, including the heat of an infra-red lamp, to enable the sheets to be 2,828,737 Patented Apr. 1, 1 958 ice 5 processes and spinous process of the human body, and

closely curved to shape and in which all the body straps are completely detachable and washable, with the body conforming sheets being also washable and being capable of imposing a restraining action on a patients body comparable to that obtainable with sheets.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide an orthopraxis appliance in which the corrective braces can be made to extend over a wider area of a patients body without impairing the ability to make X-ray observation or imposing discomfort upon the patient. In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide a spinal or lower back brace in which an immobilizing action is capable of being applied over the transverse processes without causing discomfort to the spinous process.

Further objects and advantages of the invention, residing in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts will become clear from a consideration of the following description of practical embodiments of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, and from the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of an appliance in accordance with the invention shown worn upon a patients body,

Fig. 2 is a rear view of this appliance,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line IIIlII of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section on the line IV-IV of Fig. 2, showing, diagrammatically, the location of the back spinal brace, in use, with respect to the transverse Figs. 5 and 6 are similar views to Figs. 1 and 2 but ofa different form of appliance in accordance with theinvention. v

Refe'rringto the drawings, and first to Figs. 1' to4, there is disclosed therein an orthopraxis device for giving corrective support to a patients spine, which device com prises a front abdominal conforming sheet, indicated gen erally at 10, a back spinal conforming sheet, indicated generally at 12, arm straps, indicated generally at 14, and body and perineal straps, indicated generally at 16 and 18, respectively. In contradistinction to the conventional appliance composed of a separate pelvic band and scapulae plate connected by spaced apart vertical plates, the present invention provides an integral 'brace of substantially inverted T formation, with the pelvic and scapulae portions being at the ends of the leg of the T.

Both the abdominal sheet 10 and the spinal sheet 12 are constructed from thermoplastic material to form sheetlike blanks, which blanks are initially shaped to the general contour of the areas of the body over which they are to be applied and are secured upon backing pads 20, 22, having edge portions 24 which extend beyond the marginal lines of the blanks.

It has been found that acrylic plastic is admirably suitable to form these thermoplastic body conforming blanks. Such material will respond to heat for shaping the blanks to their final form, is washable, relatively light in weight, cooler, and is less conspicuous and hygienically more sanitary than the conventional metal blanks. For forming the backing pads it is proposed to employ foam rubber and to fuse them onto the rear surfaces of the thermoplastic blanks, with the marginal edges of the protruding pad portions 24 following .the contour of the marginal edges of the thermoplastic blanks. These protruding edges of the pads otter comfort to the patient by absorbing the pressure exerted at the edges of the thermoplastic sheets. p, j Satisfactory results have been obtained with the use of body conforming sheets of thermoplastic resin. Such material is light transmitting and thus suited to X-ray observation, and is responsive to treatment by a heat lamp to soften the material sufficiently to enable the body blanks to be shaped to a particular curvature. Such shaping may be localized and has been successfully carried out with the use of an infra-red lamp."

The arm straps 14, body and perineal straps 16, 18 are all separately formed and detachably secured to the body conforming pads 10 and 12 and are all of washable material.

The arm straps 14 may be formed from fabric material having a flat tube section 26 of rubber, or rubberlike material, applied thereover so as to pass under the patients arms.

The body straps 16 are conveniently formed from an outer layer 28 of plastic material curved on the inside surface with a layer 30 of felt material.

The perineal straps 18 may be formed from strips of webbing.

As above mentioned, all these straps are separately formed and removable, and all are readily washable.

For securing the straps upon the body conforming sheets reliance is made upon the use of button-type snap action fasteners, indicated generally at 32.

Each fastener comprises a male button part 34 (Figs. 1 and 2) and a female button part 36. The male button parts are secured within holes 38 formed through the thermoplastic sheet, with the inner ends of the holes being covered by the corresponding backing pad, while the female button parts are secured upon the inside of the straps, at the extremities thereof.

The body straps 16 are fitted with adjustment buckles 40. These buckles are provided upon the front ends of the straps, where these strap ends are secured to the male fastener parts fixed in the abdominal sheet 10. The male fastener parts are connected to the backs of the buckles for snap-on engagement with their companion female fastener parts 34. r

The back spinal brace 12 is formed at the bottom with a pelvic band portion 42 and, at the top, with ascapulae part 44, these being integrally connected with the narrower strip part 46, from which integral cars 48 extend for the connection of the rear ends of the body straps 16. The spinal brace is thus of integral structure and is substantially in the form of an inverted T, with the pelvic and scapulae, parts being at the ends of the leg of the T. The strip part 46, as illustrated in Fig. 4, inparticular, is of suchlateral extent that the outer portions thereof, in the. use of the, brace, extend over and beyond the transverse processes, indicated at 50, and are integral with a medial portion formed with an outwardly directed medial rib 52 which lies opposite to the spinous process, indicated at 54. but in s aced relation to the patients body, as indicated by the reference56. This rib extends vertically from the pelvic band .to the scapulae part and besides functioning as stated gives the thermoplastic brace 12, as a whole, increased rigidity.

By providing the spinal brace 12 with the lateral ears 48 and connecting the rear ends of the body straps (by the fasteners 32) to these ears, it is possible to apply the traction on these straps close to the patients sides.

The lower back brace illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 is of the same general construction as the previously described brace and similar parts have been given the same references, but primed. This brace is for immobilizing the lower back and terminates at the top with the laterally extending part 58 for location approximately at the ninth dorsal vertebra of a patients back.

I claim:

1. .An orthopraxis appliance'comprising body conforming sheets of light transmitting thermoplastic material having backing pads applied thereto, strap fastener means secured in said sheets, and separate washable arm, body and perineal straps, said straps having fastener means on their extremities engaging said fastener means on the body conforming sheets for securing the appliance upon a patients body, said appliance including a spine conforming sheet of therplastic material having a backing pad secured thereto, said sheet having a medial stiffening rib presenting a longitudinal recess to the rear surface of the sheet and said pad being cemented into said recess.

2. A spinal or lower back brace comprising an immobilizing sheet formed to extend along a patients back, said sheet having side portions formed to be located over the transverse processes and including a medial portion formed to be located over the spinous processes, said sheet having upper and lower laterally extending band portions and a central portion extending between said band portions and defining said side portions, said medial portion having a rib extending from said lower portion to said upper portion, said rib defining a recess at the back of the sheet for location on a patients body opposite the spinous processes.

3. A hack immobilizing brace, said brace comprising a solid integral sheet structure having upper and lower lateral band portions and a central leg portion, said portions having means for the connection of shoulder, body and perineal straps, said integral sheet structure being of light transmitting thermoplastic material, and said leg portion having a medial reinforcing rib, said rib-presenting a recess at the back of the leg portion. 4. A back immobilizing brace, said brace comprising a solid integral sheet structure having upper and lower lateral band portions and a central leg portion, said portions having means for the connection of shoulder, body and perineal straps, said integral sheet structure being of light transmitting thermoplastic material, and said leg portion having a medial reinforcing rib, said rib presenting a recess at theback of the leg portion, and a backing pad of foam rubber secured over said structure, said backing pad havingiperipheral edge portions projecting beyond the peripheral edges of said sheet structure.

References-Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,913 Crain Jan. 16, 1843. 766,863 Adams Aug. 9, 1904 1,940,904 Dayton et :al. Dec. 26, 1933 2,303,759 Bippin Dec. 1, 1942 2,453,370 Hittemberger Nov. 9, 1948 -.2,-541,4s7 Triplett Feb. 13, 1951 2,554,337 Lampert May 22, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 120,697 Germany May 24, 1907 OTHER REFERENCES Orthopedic Appliances Atlas, published by the American Academy ofOrthopaedic Surgeons. Received in Div. 55, April 1952. Pages'95, 239 and 240. 

